GU (or similar substance) poll

[Tar-Cat]

I've decided to try GU (or something), but I figure there's probably some flavors/brands out there that should be avoided at all cost.


So...

What's your favorite brand?

Flavor?

Any other tips?


Much appreciated

[Irulan]

Vanilla or orange, tho I hear espresso with chocolate is good.

[annie]

Best Gu is vanilla!! Nothing else comes close. I find it hard to believe, but I actually like the stuff. And it is effective! Also decent-tasting is the strawberry-banana PowerGel. I thin most of the gels do what they're designed to do, but you have to find the flavor(s) you can stomach or you won't be inclined to suck them down when needed. Try a few and you'll probably find some that you like.

annie

[slinkedog]

I tried vanilla GU once. It was quite palatable but I don't know if it helped me or not. Probably did.

[KkAllez]

I used Gu back when I rode endurance with my horses. Now I use Hammer Gel. The Apple Cinnamon is my favorite. The chocolate is good but a bit too thick for my tastes, it is almost like brownie batter. Ben uses that chocolate Hammer Gel. Each big container comes with a nifty little flask. That is handy.

Some endurance riders I know would use Eagle Brand milk. Yummy, but how useful is it? I don't know.

[Hound Dog]

I make my own gu.... I am an ultra trail runner, comes in handy on my long runs.

1 can (300ml) of Eagle Brand Low Fat sweetend condensed partly skimmed milk
1 teaspoon cocoa powder.

mix well , voila

Ultimate makes containers just for "gu" and even comes with a nifty holder.

Much cheaper, and works just as good (if not better) than store bought Gu. I have been using this combo for years... would never go back to the store bought stuff... not only do you not have a wrapper to deal with, the Ultimate container is easy to use.

Hound Dog
(just got back from a ride and feeling good!)

[LBTC]

I've only tried Power Gel and Cliff Shots. Cliff Shots are WAY better! and the best flavour is sonic strawberry. it has added caffeine! yummy! they make a mocha mocha with caffeine, but I hate the taste of coffee I just saw that they have a flavour I want to try Cola Buzz, also with caffeine.

On our last road trip we picked up several of the gel flasks. my intention is to mix flavours up for an epic ride. maybe chocolate with strawberry, etc.

as for how well they work...well, I haven't gotten that huge burst of energy, but if taken at just the right time, I've avoided that huge dip in energy that a lack of fuel will cause.... so, yes, I think they work. DH just tried two at a time. He said he REALLY felt it then! heehee

Namaste,
~T~

back from a ride, too and haven't felt this good in ages!!

[tatormc]

Chocolate GU is the best. I think it's really yummy!

[Pedal Wench]

I make my own gu....

1 can (300ml) of Eagle Brand Low Fat sweetend condensed partly skimmed milk
1 teaspoon cocoa powder.

mix well , voila

...

Yum!!! I love that stuff! Brings back memories of using it to make ice cream when I was a kid! Never thought of using it for riding!!! Two questions though - how long does it stay fresh after you've opened the can? And, for anyone who's lactose intolerant - any problems with this kinda stuff? Some foods are okay, some are definitely not, and i would hate to find out on the road!

[sarahk]

I like the chocolata and vanilla Gu. I've had the berry Gu and I absolutley hated it. I really didn't like the taste. But the chocolate is my favorite!

Sarah

[Technotart]

I gag on the gooey stuff! And - if you try to use eagle brand milk or karo syryp you get the short term boost but not the longer lasting boost you get from a product with amino acids. That means you have shorter but higher and deeper spikes in your blood glucose levels.

Enervitene is my fave. I will do a goo pack of some kind if I have nothing else, but the enervitene is a liquid, not a goo and has some longer lasting slower burning stuff in it like the goos do. It tastes like a sprite and isnt sicky sweet like the goos.

[Veronica]

Thom uses Apple flavor Carboom. I think it's okay, but too sticky.

V.

[fixedgeargirl]

I buy what's on sale ! When I first started using goos, I tried a Gu pack, don't recall the flavor, for a grady, 16 mile, headwind return portion of an out and back - it made a world of difference!! A week later, same ride, tried Clif Shot, not nearly the same effect. Friends of mine who mtb 50-60 miles at a time on a regular basis rave about Enervit/Enervitene products. They have vitamin B3, which helps with the uptake of the carbs. I tried the cola flavored Enervit - it was really acidic, burned my throat, and tasted like hot Coca-Cola. Bleh. I don't know that I saw any greater results with Enervit than I do with Gu, and the cola flavor was really hard to gack down. The lemon-lime is also acidic, but not as bad.

I think the chocolate Gu tastes like brownie batter. Brownie batter is not something I eat IRL, but halfway through a 60 miler, a choclate goo goes down pretty easy. I have the metabolism of a sparrow when I exercise, so I always make sure to have goo on rides of over an hour and suck them down before I need them.

[yellow]

As detailed in some of my past posts about other performance enhancing substances (i.e., Red Bull), I prefer Crank E-Gel, which is apparently very very similar to Hammer Gel in content (the first ingredient is maltodextrin, not sucrose or fructose). The thing I like about the Crank E Gel is that it's thinner in consistency and therefore easier to swallow. I prefer the cherry flavor, though we also buy a box of the Mountain Rush every once in a while (I think it's a citrusy-something kind of flavor).

Yes, we buy the stuff by the case. I'm a big believer, though I require real, solid food on very long rides as well.

[Steph_in_TX]

It's always interesting to read how different everyone is...I like the vanilla gu. I like the flavor of the chocolate, but can't stand it when I'm hot. I didn't mind the orange either, but my dh only likes vanilla and we buy the big boxes. The only other we've tried was Clif Shot and I thought it was horrible. I also like putting it in the flask so my hands and pockets don't get sticky.